“My parting words to Lydia were ‘Take control of your life. Take control of your golf game. Make more of your own decisions,’ ” Leadbetter said. “And she said, ‘I’m actually working on that.’ Which was good to hear.” That’s from Jaime Diaz headlining ‘After split with Lydia Ko, David Leadbetter cautions her about meddlesome parents’.

Michelle Wie reduxSounds sort of like Michelle Wie’s parents some time back but I’m told they’ve now backed off and she is now doing it her way and it’s good to hear that Lydia’s working on that process.

Jaime writes, “According to David Leadbetter… Ko’s golf game is being hampered mentally and physically by hovering, and sometimes intrusive, parents.“At this point, their sole occupation is taking care of Lydia’s every need,” said Leadbetter of Ko’s father, Gil Hong Ko, and mother, Bon Sook Hyon, both of whom regularly travel with their daughter.

“They tell her when to go to bed, what to eat, what to wear, when to practice and what to practice. And they expect her to win every tournament. They are good people, who love their daughter and want the very best for her, and Lydia has never been to college and is still young. But they are naive about golf. And at some point, they’ve got to let the bird fly from the nest. I would often think, ‘It’s not easy coaching three people.’ ”A meddling father in the mix“The fix for her dad’s part was to try to flatten her backswing,” Leadbetter said.” That’s from Randall Mell who goes into some detail including was she or wasn’t she trying out changes during the Asian swing.“Leadbetter built Ko what he called a “Mid A swing,” a version of his “A Swing,” which features a more upright takeaway with a transition to a more shallow downswing. Leadbetter said the steepness of Ko’s takeaway had become “too exaggerated” as this past season wore on. He says fatigue during a brutal summer stretch of big events and fitness issues led to the swing problems.“Her swing certainly got looser,” Leadbetter said. “It looked like she was lifting the club too much, and as the year went on that grew worse. Her trainers will tell you fitness was an issue, and I think that was a huge factor. So, all of a sudden, you’re not hitting the ball as well, and you lose some confidence and you have a tough run of form.”

Leadbetter said Ko and her father began working on changes while playing the Asian swing, where they were mostly away from Leadbetter and Hogan.”

Link to Jaime Diaz and Randell MellQuote of the Day“Always obey your parents - when they are present.” – From a tongue-in-cheek Mark Twain